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Buying Cabinets Online

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Buying Cabinets Online

Buying Cabinets Online

Improving the e-commerce cabinet buying journey to increase conversion and help customers navigate a complex purchasing decision.

Improving the e-commerce cabinet buying journey to increase conversion and help customers navigate a complex purchasing decision.

Company

Cabinets.com

Cabinets.com

Role

UX Designer

UX Designer

Industry

E-Commerce

E-Commerce

Company Size

50-100

50-100

1

Overview

Overview

Cabinets.com is a large online retailer for custom kitchen cabinets. I worked on improving the purchase journey and checkout experience to reduce friction in a high-consideration buying process.

Cabinets.com is a large online retailer for custom kitchen cabinets. I worked on improving the purchase journey and checkout experience to reduce friction in a high-consideration buying process.

34%

34%

Increase in sample doors

Increase in sample doors

19%

19%

Increase in non-designer sales

Increase in non-designer sales

15%

15%

Reduced bounce rate

Reduced bounce rate

18%

18%

Decrease in CS calls

Decrease in CS calls

My Role

Sole UX Designer

  • Led UX improvements across the cabinet purchase journey

  • Analyzed customer behavior and drop-off points

  • Designed solutions to simplify product selection and configuration

  • Partnered with product managers and developers to ship improvements

2

Problem

Problem

Buying kitchen cabinets online is a complex, high-consideration purchase. Customers must evaluate multiple factors before ordering — all without seeing the product in person.


As an online-only retailer competing with big box stores, the experience needed to replace the guidance customers normally receive in a showroom.


This created friction throughout the purchase journey and contributed to high cart abandonment.

Buying kitchen cabinets online is a complex, high-consideration purchase. Customers must evaluate multiple factors before ordering — all without seeing the product in person.


As an online-only retailer competing with big box stores, the experience needed to replace the guidance customers normally receive in a showroom.


This created friction throughout the purchase journey and contributed to high cart abandonment.

Key Challenges

Cabinet styles

Styles varied widely and naming conventions were not standardized across manufacturers, making it difficult for customers to confidently compare options.

Styles varied widely and naming conventions were not standardized across manufacturers, making it difficult for customers to confidently compare options.

Measurements

Precise measurements were required to ensure cabinets fit correctly in a customer’s kitchen. Incorrect measurements could lead to costly returns for the business.

Precise measurements were required to ensure cabinets fit correctly in a customer’s kitchen. Incorrect measurements could lead to costly returns for the business.

Pricing

Cabinet pricing varied significantly based on style, materials, size, and configuration, making cost estimation an important part of the decision process.

Cabinet pricing varied significantly based on style, materials, size, and configuration, making cost estimation an important part of the decision process.

Configuration options

Customers needed to select multiple attributes such as dimensions, finishes, and accessories, creating a complicated decision process.

Customers needed to select multiple attributes such as dimensions, finishes, and accessories, creating a complicated decision process.

3

Approach

Approach

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

My role included taking these steps:

Analyzing behavior data and checkout drop-off points

+

Mapping the cabinet purchase journey

+

Identifying friction in product configuration and cart review

+

Designing improvements to clarify selections and reduce decision complexity

+

4

Tradeoffs & Constraints

Tradeoffs & Constraints

Designing improvements to the cabinet purchasing experience required balancing user clarity with business and technical constraints.

Designing improvements to the cabinet purchasing experience required balancing user clarity with business and technical constraints.

Simplicity vs Product Flexibility

Customers needed a simple buying experience, but cabinets have many configuration options such as size, finish, and accessories.

Tradoff

Rather than removing options, the design focused on progressively revealing configuration choices to reduce cognitive load while maintaining flexibility.

Purchase Confidence vs Checkout Speed

Adding more detail in the cart (measurements, configuration details, pricing) increased clarity but risked slowing down checkout.

Tradoff

The solution prioritized clear summaries of selections and pricing without overwhelming the user with unnecessary detail.

Measurement Guidance vs User Autonomy

Incorrect measurements could lead to costly returns, but forcing customers through rigid measurement validation could create friction.

Tradoff

The experience focused on reinforcing measurement accuracy and surfacing guidance, while still allowing customers to move forward with their selections.

Product Comparison vs Page Complexity

Helping customers compare cabinet styles was important, but showing too much information at once could overwhelm users.

Tradoff

The design prioritized visual comparison and key differentiators, allowing deeper product details to remain accessible but not dominant.

5

Key UX Improvements

Key UX Improvements

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

Inspiration / Gallery

Inspiration / Gallery

Assumptions

If we connect inspirational kitchen gallery imagery directly to purchasable products (styles, finishes, configurations), customers will feel more confident in selecting cabinets, leading to higher engagement and increased conversion rates.

Challenges

  • Complex Product Mapping

  • Performance & Load Times

  • Balancing Inspiration vs. Usability

Results

+34% Increase in door samples
+7% Increase in non-designer sales
The production cadence of new galleries slowed

Non-Designer Experience

Non-Designer Experience

Assumptions

If we integrate more illustrations and contextual visuals into the shopping flow (e.g., cabinet diagrams, lifestyle images, finish swatches), customers will make faster, more confident product decisions, leading to increased engagement and higher conversion rates.

Challenges

  • Complexity of Choices

  • Information Hierarchy & Overload

  • Industry Terminology

Results

+12% Increase in non-designer sales

Help / Resources

Assumptions

If we create a centralized cabinet resources page with articles, visual guides, and contextual help, customers will gain the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. This will reduce confusion, lower support requests, improve SEO traffic, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates by positioning Cabinets.com as both a retailer and a trusted expert.

Challenges

  • Balancing Audiences

  • Avoiding Information Overload

  • Content Presentation

Results

-18% Decrease in CS calls

Reduced bounce rate from 62% to 47%

6

Results & Learnings

Results & Learnings

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

I focused on identifying where customers struggled most in the purchase journey and simplifying those decision points.

Improvements to configuration clarity and cart review helped customers better understand their selections before checkout.


Improvements to configuration clarity and cart review helped customers better understand their selections before checkout.


Result: Cart abandonment decreased by 14% after the changes were released.

Result: Cart abandonment decreased by 14% after the changes were released.

Through this work, I saw how much uncertainty customers experience when purchasing cabinets online.


Through this work, I saw how much uncertainty customers experience when purchasing cabinets online.


Learning: For high-cost purchases, customers need clear confirmation of what they’ve selected — style, dimensions, and price — before feeling comfortable completing checkout.

Learning: For high-cost purchases, customers need clear confirmation of what they’ve selected — style, dimensions, and price — before feeling comfortable completing checkout.

Not every friction point could be solved immediately due to technical limitations and the complexity of cabinet configuration.

Not every friction point could be solved immediately due to technical limitations and the complexity of cabinet configuration.

Learning: Progress often comes through incremental improvements. Focusing on the highest-impact areas of the journey helped move the experience forward while working within product and engineering constraints.

Learning: Progress often comes through incremental improvements. Focusing on the highest-impact areas of the journey helped move the experience forward while working within product and engineering constraints.